Notorious flood prone footbridge undergoing major upgrade

The popular heritage footbridge crosses the Macintyre River and offers convenient access between Campbell Street, which feeds into the Inverell CBD and Raglan Street, which leads into the town's southern residential area.

However, the footbridge has been flagged by some community members as a serious safety concern, especially during flood events which are not uncommon.

Acting Manager Civil Engineering at Inverell Council Scott Hamilton, said the upgrade work to the footbridge has been on the council's radar for some time and once completed the bridge will be significantly safer for pedestrians.

"The footbridge is quite old, it's low lying and we don't need much rainfall for there to be water overlapping or covering the bridge completely which presents some obvious safety concerns," he said.

"There is a high level of foot traffic on the bridge as it connects the southern residential areas to the CBD."

Mr Hamilton said the bridge would receive a significant, safe and long-lasting upgrade and would take approximately 3 months to complete.

"The original foundations, the piers will be retained and they will be extended a metre to get the greater height making it more accessible during mild rain events and far safer.

"There will be a precast deck to go on top of those extended piers.

"The total width of the footbridge once completed will be 2.1 metres, there will be a curb on either side giving a walking wide of 1.8 metres, this will be a safe, solid and secure walkway which will serve the Inverell community for years to come."

According to local historians, there have been a number of drownings and close calls on and nearby the footbridge which is thought to have originally been constructed with logs in the 1860's.

As late as September 1983, a 16 year old Inverell high school student, Joanne Marie Fenton died in an accidental drowning.

Ms Fenton lost her footing while crossing the narrow footbridge which was submerged by flood water and was swept away.

Concern was raised at the time that the bridge should have been closed or at least signposted as unsafe.

Ms Fenton's close childhood friend, Jo McKinnon, said she has campaigned to the Inverell council for years to have the bridge upgraded after the terrible tragedy in 1983.

"The day Joanne drowned she was walking down town with her mother and brother Phillip," she said.

"Another one of our friends was in front and said to Joanne it's fine to cross. The water was just lapping the footbridge, her mother Maureen called out for her to come back.

"As Joanne turned she slipped and fell in ( she wasn't a good swimmer) her brother Phillip dived in to get Joanne who was holding a tree.

"As Phillip got close the currents pulled Joanne under. It was the next evening she was pulled out behind Coles.

"I remember there used to be a flashing red light and a siren when it flooded. I used to be able to hear it from my mother's house in south Inverell.

"But for some reason, as the years went by after Joanne's death, the alarms didn't work and the light was removed."

"I have asked council to place a memorial plaque for Joanne with the permission of her mother Maureen," she said.

"I can't tell you how glad I am that the footbridge is finally being fixed."

The Inverell Times reported in the year 1900 that the same footbridge was "badly in need of a handrail" after a boy nearly drowned when he fell off the bridge and was saved by a passerby.

There was a drowning nearby the footbridge in 1903, a drowning nearby in 1917, a miraculous escape in 1931, a drowning in 1940 which may or may not have been due to misadventure or possibly suicide, a very near drowning in 1951 and a boy that was swept away from the bridge in 1959 when he was attempting to cross a day after his birthday to buy himself a birthday present.

Significant flooding events occurred in Inverell a half dozen times since the late 1880's with the most recent in 1991 where the town was completely underwater.

Flooding in Inverell can be particularly dangerous. There is little warning time, flood waters rise quickly and are fast moving. Water begins to inundate the CBD at a height of 5.0 metres.

In February of 1991 flood height reached 6.0 metres. 120 residential properties were flooded and the CBD was affected by fast moving water.